North Korea has long-faced the threat of famine due to its severely undeveloped agriculture sector. A famine between 1994 and 1998 (caused by floods) was estimated by the US to have caused the deaths of between 900,000 and 2.4 million people — a double digit share of its population of 22 million.

North Korean state media has reported that some regions are 8 degrees warmer than usual in May and June, and acknowledged the possibility of a drought.